REESES PEANUT BUTTER CUP CHEESECAKE

Wow, I've been making a ton of cheesecakes lately. There's nothing like digging your fork into a cold, creamy cheesecake with a crunchy crust. It's official, cheesecake is by far my most favorite dessert. I love to make them and I love eating them even more!

My boyfriends brother celebrated a birthday a few weeks ago and rather than baking your traditional classic birthday cake, I went with a Reeses peanut butter birthday cheesecake. This cheesecake was unreal. The peanut butter flavor wasn't overly strong and the Oreo cookie crust made for a perfect cheesecake foundation. The chocolate ganache layer on top really put this cheesecake over the edge as my most favorite cheesecake, to date.

This recipe fills is designed to fill a 10 inch springform pan, however, I only had a 9 inch so I had some extra batter leftover which I used to make mini peanut butter cup cheesecakes. Since my boyfriends family are die-hard Tennessee Volunteer fans, I stuck these cute little Vols picks in each mini. They were a huge hit.

Please note that you should plan a day ahead when making this cheesecake. It requires a lot of chilling time and I always find that leaving a cheesecake to chill in the fridge overnight produces the best results.

For The Crust

• 4 1/2 cups crushed Oreo cookies
• 1 cup chopped roasted peanuts
• 1/2 cup butter, melted

For The Filling

• 2 lbs cream cheese, softened
• 5 eggs, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 cup smooth peanut butter (not natural-style)
• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 12 Reese's Peanut Butter cups, broken into small pieces

For The Topping

5 ounces milk chocolate chips

1/4 c. sour cream

1. Please Note****Plan ahead--cheesecake needs to chill for at least 4 hours.
2. To Make The Crust:.
3. Combine crushed Oreo cookies and peanuts that have been ground in a food processor with the melted butter.
4. Pat the crust mixture onto bottom and sides of a 10-inch springform pan.
5. To Make The Filling:.
6. Beat cream cheese in bowl of electric mixer until smooth.
7. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
8. Add sugar, peanut butter and cream; mix until smooth.
9. Stir in vanilla, then fold in peanut butter cup pieces with a rubber spatula.
10. Pour filling into prepared crust.
11. Place springform pan into a larger baking pan.
12. Pour hot water into the larger pan so that the water comes 1 inch up the sides of the springform pan.
13. Bake at 275°F 1-1/2 hours, or until firm and lightly browned.'
14. Remove from oven and allow to cool on a wire rack for one hour
15. you may run a knife along the edge of the cake to loosen it from the pan somewhat.
16. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours (overnight is your best bet)
17. For The Topping:.
18. In a saucepan over low heat, melt the chocolate and sour cream, stirring constantly. Spread over cheesecake and return it to the refrigerator to set up.